Horse-detacher.



No- 808,595. PATENTED DEC. 26, 1905. G. H. BAGH.

HORSE DETAGHER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE so, 1905.

' inirnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORSE-DETACHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1905.

Application filed June 30,1905. Serial No, 267,784-

lo all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. BACH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooks, in the State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horse- Detachers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to draft connections for vehicles, farm implements, and the like, and has for its object to provide certain new and useful improvements in this class of devices whereby the draft-animals may be quickly and efiectually released should they become fractious or unmanageable.

A further object of the invention is to facilitate the assemblage of the parts of the device and to enable the convenient mounting thereof upon a draft-pole without requiring any alteration in the pole and the runninggear. In this connection it is also proposed to enable the use of the usual form of traces and to provide for the convenient engagement and disengagement of the traces with respect to the present apparatus. It is also designed to have the apparatus under the complete control of the driver, so as to simultaneously release two or more draft-an imals in a very simple and eflicient manner.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood-that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention.

In the drawing there is shown a plan view of a draft apparatus embodying the features of the present invention.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the drawing.

As a support for the several parts of the present apparatus I employ any ordinary or preferred form of draft pole or tongue 1, and across this pole is supported an evener 2, a cross-bar 3, and a controlling-bar 4, the bars 3 and 4 being of substantially the same length and exceeding the length of the evener-bar 2. The evener-bar is pivoted to the pole, as at 5, while the cross-bar 3 is fixed upon the pole in any suitable manner. The controlling-bar 4 is provided at its center with a transverse slot 6, which receives an upstanding pin or guide projection 7, rising from pole 1 and designed to prevent endwise play of the controlling-bar. In the rear of the controlling-bar there is a spring 8, which is carried by the pole and bears forwardly upon the bar 4, so as to yieldably hold the latter at its forward limit.

Upon each end of the evener-bar 2 there is a swingletree 9, which is pivoted or loosely connected thereto, as at 10, so as to swing back and forth in the common or ordinary manner. At each end of the swingletree and at its rear side there is a longitudinal extension 11, and upon this extension there is a hook-shaped catch 12, which is pivoted upon the swingletree in the inner end of the extension 11, as shown at 13, the free end or bill of this catch being designed to take into a keeper, preferably in the nature of the seat or recess 14, formed in the adjacent end of the swingletree. A suitable spring 15 is employed to yieldably maintain the hook or catch in engagement with the seat or keeper. Each of the hooks or catches is connected to the controlling-bar 4 through the medium of a pair of links 16 and 17, of which the link 17 is pivoted to the bar 4, as at 18, while the link 16 is pivoted to the hook or catch, as at 19,

there also being a pivotal connection 20 between the overlapping inner end portions of the two links. It will here be ex lained that the links are not connected to t e cross-bar 3, merely resting thereon as a support, and therefore are free to move independently of this fixed support.

In practice the traces are engaged with the trace-fastening hooks 12 in the usual manner, the hooks being swung back against the tension of their springs 15 and are then permitted to snap back into their normalclosed position, so as to secure the traces to the swingletree. Should the draft-animals become unmanageable, they may be conveniently released by means of the controllingbar 4, which is moved rearwardly against the tension of the spring 8, thereby drawing upon the several pairs of links, which in turn swing the trace-fastening hooks upon their pivotal supports 13 and are thus disengaged from the traces, whereby the draft-animals are freed from the apparatus.

IIO

It will of course be understood that the neck-yoke center must be arranged to slip from the forward end of the pole without liability of the same catching or hanging thereon when the traces are released. When the device is arranged for a single horse, the tugs should be sufficiently loose upon the thills as to slip therefrom when the animal passes out between them.

Any suitable means may be employed for moving the controlling-bar 4 in a rearward directionas, for instance, a link or rod 21 may be connected to the middle of the bar 4 and extending rearwardly a suitable dis tance and connected to a handlever 22, the latter to be fulcrumed at some convenient point upon the body of the vehicle or frame of the farm implement in convenient reach of the driver. When the apparatus is mounted upon a buggy or the like, the rod or link 21 should pass through an opening in the dashboard.

Attention is called to the fact that the draft strains upon the trace-fastening hooks 1 2 tend to draw the free ends of the latter into the seats or keepers 14, wherefore there is no danger of the traces becoming disengaged when strains are applied thereto. When the team is at rest,the springs 15 hold the hooks 12 in engagement with their keepers 14, so as to prevent disconnection of the traces therefrom.

A very important feature of the invention resides in the fact that the connection between the coritrolling-bar 4 and the tracefastening hooks 12 are loosethat is to say, they are made up of loosely-connected links-- whereby the swingletrees are capable of swinging upon their pivotal supports in. the usual manner without liability of the hooks being disengaged from their seats or sockets 14, while at the same time the hooksmay be promptly released by a rearward movement of the bar 4.

What is claimed is 1. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a support, of a swingletree, trace-fastenings carried by the swingletree, a movable controlling bar mounted upon the support, loose connections between the bar and the trace-fastenings to permit swinging of the swingletree without affecting the trace-fastenings, and means to move the controlling-bar to release the trace-fastenings.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a support, of a swingletree, trace-fastenings carried by the swingletree, a controlling-bar movably mounted upon the support, loosely-assembled link connections between the controlling-bar and nally of the pole, loose connections extending.

between the controlling-bar and the tracefastenings and supported upon the cross-bar, and controlling means connected to the controlling-bar.

4. The combination with a draft-pole, of an evener-bar pivoted thereon, a cross-bar upon the pole in rear of the evener-bar, a controlling-bar movable longitudinally of the,

pole in rear of the cross-bar, swingletrees loosely connected to opposite ends of the evener bar, trace fastening hooks pivoted upon the ends of the swingletrees, pairs of links pivotally connected to the respective hooks and the controlling-bar and supported upon the cross-bar, and controlling means connected to the controlling-bar.

5. The combination with a draft-pole of an evener-bar pivoted thereon, swingletreesloosely connected to the opposite ends of the evener-bar, trace-fastenings carried by opposite ends of the swingletrees, a controllingbar supported upon the pole and movable longitudinally thereon, a spring to hold the controlling-bar at one limit of its movement, connections between the bar and the hooks, and controlling means connected to the controlling-bar.

6. The combination with. a draft-pole of an evener bar pivotally supported thereon, swingletrees loosely connected to opposite ends of the evener-bar, trace-fastening hooks pivotally supported upon opposite ends of the swingletrees, a cross-bar mounted upon the pole in rear of the evener-bar, a controlling bar mounted upon the'pole in rear of the cross-bar and a slot and pin slidable connection therewith, a springcarried by the pole and engaging the controlling-bar to hold the same at one limit of its movement, looselyassembled links pivotally connected to the controlling-bar and the respective hooks, and controlling means connected to the controlling-bar.

In testimony whereofI affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. BACH.

Witnesses:

LOUIS CHAMFE UE, H. T. POURNO. 

